Two pals, Jack Manley and John French, are employed on a large ranch in Wyoming. French falls sick with fever and Jack goes for a doctor. This latter, however, refuses to accompany Jack without his payment in advance and Jack, in despair, is forced to depart without the doctor. Back at the bunkhouse he conceives the plan to hold up a pony express rider
After successfully eluding the London police, David Goodwin, an embezzler, sails for America and locates in the west. At the opening of our story, he is married and has several little children, and has become a thoroughly respectable and honorable citizen. One day he is reminded of the past by a newspaper item which states that the London embezzler has been located
May Barclay, returning from the east, is met at the station by her father, a wealthy cattle king. On passing the town saloon, two members of Buck Brady's gang, known and feared throughout the country for lawless depredations, see May and determine to steal her and hold her for ransom.
Unable to apprehend a certain daring outlaw, who had for the second time successfully held up an express train, the general manager of the road employs the services of a well-known detective to hunt down the bad man. Clarington, the detective, visits the scene of the hold-up, and decides that the outlaw must still be in the vicinity
When Bill Hinchley is wrongfully imprisoned his wife, Mary, becomes a schoolteacher out of necessity concealing from the school trustees that she is the wife of a convict. Sneaky Pete, Bill's cellmate, steals a letter from Mary to Bill, and, his term expired, follows Mary and extorts her, by threatening to cause her to lose her job by revealing her secret. Attempting to escape Bill gives up his chance at freedom to rescue the warden's children - and is later pardoned, coming home to wreak vengeance on Sneaky Pete, and justify Mary's faith in him.
Wilton Shaw, a young author, has been advised by his physician to go west for his health and the opening scenes of this picture finds him in a little town in Montana, seeking board and lodging. Jim Walker, a backwoodsman, offers him a home with him and his wife, and he accepts. Arriving at the rough hut of the Walkers, Shaw is introduced to Walker's wife.
Broncho Billy hears a child scream and rushes on the scene in time to prevent Jim Haley, a big brute of a man, from beating his little daughter, Josie, with a horse whip. Later, Haley and Pedro, a half-breed, are caught rustling cattle and are given the customary treatment, but not before Haley writes a note to Josie, stating that the boys will take care of her. The boys send Josie east to school and ten years later, when she returns a young lady, they all fall in love with her.
Upon the death of her father, Ann Newton is made the heiress of an extensive and valuable ranch in Arizona, when she is visited by the officials of the S.W. Railroad Company, who, seeking to extend the tracks of their company, find it necessary to buy a portion of the ranch. Ann refuses to part with the ranch at any price
Young Gilbert Randel, an American surveyor, is sent to Mexico with a construction gang, and quartered in a small Mexican village, meets Pepita, a beautiful Mexican girl, with whom he falls in love. After frequent visit to the cottage of Pepita, Gilbert proposes to the girl and she consents to the marriage.
William Hart, a prospector in the west, who, with his wife and child sought vainly for gold day after day, while hope waned and starvation faced them. One day while alone save for Nellie, their little girl, Mrs. Hart is visited by two tramp Mojave Indians who, with threats of vengeance, make her give them food.
Dorothy Sloane, the daughter of a white settler in the west, leaves her home one day for a ride on horseback to the village, but on the way in intercepted by a party of Indians who, after a hard chase, capture her and taking her to the village, bring her before the chief.
To err is human, but in the end, goodness of heart will prevail and the one who has committed an offense against man-made laws may come out of the mire and develop into a law abiding and god-fearing citizen. Broncho Billy, from being one of the most desperate characters in the west, is reformed through the kind treatment accorded him at the hands of the sheriff and his wife, and is made deputy.
Ned and Jack, two western boys, are both in love with the pretty daughter of their employer, who, liking both, is unsettled as to which of them she will accept. She finally decides upon Jack and not desiring to hurt Ned's feelings, proposes to her father that she and Jack be married secretly.
Mrs. Graham and her baby boy are on their way from the east to an uncle's ranch in Wyoming, and they have completed the long journey in safety up to the time they are to take the stagecoach to Snakeville, near which the ranch is located. Through an accident Baby "Bumps," as he is fondly called by his mother, is carried off by the coach and Mrs. Graham left behind.
George Maxwell, a young cowboy, rescues a fever-stricken Mexican prospector and carrying him to an inn in the vicinity like a good Samaritan, pays the innkeeper a sum of money to care for the stricken man until he recovers.
Harvey Barton, a young cowboy, is happily in love with Kate Bowers, a pretty western girl. One day he calls at her home, shows her a handbill advertising a barn dance to be held at one of the nearby ranches, and asks her to go with him. On his way back to the ranch he comes upon a beautiful young woman, whose horse has met with an accident and Harvey dismounts and bashfully asks her if he can be of any assistance. She accepts his help and invites him to accompany her home. She is inclined to flirt and easily turns the foolish young cowpuncher's head, and the meeting ends with him inviting her to accompany him to the dance.
Jake Walters and his wife, Millie, arrive at Lizardhead, Arizona. They have learned that Mrs. Riley, proprietress of the hotel, has advertised for a waitress and Millie is sent to take the position. Millie is pretty and soon has all the village swains breaking their necks to gain her favor. From "Stump" Willetts to "Lank" Henderson, every cowboy within a radius of ten miles of Lizardhead is led to believe that he is the pretty lady's choice.
Frank Mills is a college boy with but one ambition in life and that is to someday wed the girl of his dreams, Helen Wilson. In his room at college he receives a note from Helen in which she accepts his proposal and says she will gladly go with him west, where he expects to make his fortune.
Rev. Warren Addington, the pastor of an eastern evangelical church, is left a will wherein is given the location of a valuable mine in Montana, unknown to any other living person. He takes only one man into his confidence, Jack Beardsley, a westerner and a seemingly trustworthy man, who is familiar with the country.